Atrio Wine Bar and Restaurant (102 North End Ave, Manhattan, NY 10282) is hosting a spirit tasting dinners, 'Dare to Pair.' The series focuses on a unique spirit each dinner. Still to come are the Hudson Whiskey (March 19), and Remy Martin (April 24). Executive Chef Antonio Cardoso will create a spirit-infused menu to compliment the cocktails served, while brand ambassadors will educate guests on their respective spirits. The fee is $110 for each dinner, held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. For reservations, call 646-769-4250 or email ATRIO.restaurant@conradhotels.com. For more info, click here. - guest contributor

The Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest is now open, calling home cooks to compete for the $1 million Grand Prize. The finals will be November 3, 2014, at the Omni Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. What’s new? For the first time, America’s vote will be combined with the judges’ decisions to determine the Grand Prize Winner. Additionally, Pillsbury expanded the ingredient list to include a Gluten Free Award. The Bake-Off now features four recipe categories with separate two entry periods. The first entry period includes the Simply Sweet Treats and Savory Snacks & Sides categories and is open for entries from now until March 27 (11:59 a.m. CDT), 2014. The second contest [...]

Liberty Prime Steakhouse, a new kind of steakhouse arrived in Jersey City, within walking distance from the Grove Street & Exchange Place PATH station and just minutes from Hoboken and New York City. Restaurant owner George Makrogiannis always had a vision of bringing his own steakhouse to Jersey City. He joined forces Moran's restaurant in Manhattan and the Davenport group to launch Liberty Prime — 111 Montgomery Street, Jersey City — making his dream a reality. Like every great steakhouse, Liberty Prime makes quality meat its priority, but unlike every other steakhouse, they also pride themselves on their female friendly focus. Liberty Prime diverges from the traditional steakhouse that focus [...]

Genji Sushi is embracing the power of quinoa by offering a signature blend of red quinoa and brown rice in lieu of white rice at their sushi bars locations inside Whole Foods nationwide. Genji chefs are offering this blend on a variety of rolls, but any roll can be custom made to order with the new red quinoa and brown rice blend, giving customers a more nutritious option as the holiday season commences. Genji’s Corporate Executive Chef Takao Iinuma — protégé of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto — developed the recipe specifically targeting customers who are looking white rice sushi alternatives. Based on an average roll, the new mixture has more protein, [...]

Led by Executive Chef and Owner, Michael Stoltzfus, Coquette’s culinary team will be prepare a “Fall in New Orleans” themed dinner on November 14th at City Grit (38 Prince, between Mott and Mulberry, New York City) Chef Stoltzfus — who was nominated for a 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the South as well as Food & Wine Magazine’s People’s Best Chef in both 2012 and 2013— will create a multi-course experience that includes: a New Orleans root vegetable salad with cashew butter, satsuma vinaigrette and olive praline; butternut squash cavatelli with fried chicken and maple syrup; suckling pig and for dessert apple cardamom snowball and sweet potato [...]

October is National Pizza Month, and what better place to celebrate than New Haven, CT, the birthplace of the first American pizza slice. The first slice is purported to have been served in 1925 at the famed Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, and since then, New Haven has become known as an authority on pizza, with a number of shops throughout the downtown area. In addition to tasting New Haven’s famous thin crust pizza, visitors can also experience unique menu items and specials at New Haven restaurants this month. National Pizza Month specials include: Kitchen ZINC: In celebration of National Pizza Month, Kitchen ZINC is holding Weekly Pie Fights throughout the month [...]

Lipton, in collaboration with Green Mountain Coffee Roaster (GMCR), has just released its first-ever hot and cold iced tea varieties for Keurig K-Cup single-cup brewing systems. These new Lipton K-Cup packs are a different way to enjoy fresh brewed tea blends, with the ease and convenience of a Keurig brewer. Prepare simply and quickly with one of the three new K-Cups filled with delicious ingredients in three unique combinations: Lipton REFRESH: This crisp and refreshing iced sweet tea is made of fresh-pressed tea leaves and sweetened with cane sugar. This new variety joins GMCR’s current Brew Over Ice collection for Keurig K-Cup brewers, an innovative line of beverages that are [...]

It’s the battle of the soup kettles when twelve Central Coast chefs showcase their best artisan soups during the 3rd annual Grand Ole Soupabration: Soup, Wine and Wildlife, on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2 to 5:30 p.m., at Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria. Tickets are now on sale. Chefs from San Luis Obispo to San Simeon and in between have joined this year’s event to benefit Pacific Wildlife Care in Morro Bay. Judges, including Southern California celebrity chefs and local media personalities will pick the best soups in four categories, while attendees will select a Taster’s Favorite award. Attendees can also sample olive oil, artisan breads, artisan chocolates, cookies and gourmet [...]

In celebration of Yale University’s upcoming Presidential Inauguration Ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, New Haven restaurants are offering special dining deals throughout the weekend. As the city honors Yale’s 23rd president, Peter Salovey, patrons can whet their palates with a variety of mouth-watering options from 18 of New Haven’s most sought-after restaurants. Participating restaurants will offer several different $23 dining options. These include a prix fixe lunch or dinner menu, a sampling of the restaurant’s favorite culinary offerings, or a bottle of wine. For example, Heirloom Restaurant will offer a specialty cocktail called “23.” Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro and Ordinary will offer a $23 cheese and charcuterie platter with [...]

The Greenwich 2013 Wine + Food Festival, a three-day event presented by Serendipity magazine that benefits The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, will take place October 3-5, 2013, at the Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, CT. The festival will feature a Kick-Off Party on Thursday, October 3, a Grand Tasting Gala on Friday, October 4, and the Culinary Village on Saturday, October 5. Thursday evening’s official weekend Kick-Off Party, featuring wines paired with gourmet hors d’oeuvres, is an introduction to the weekend’s featured chefs and event sponsors. The Grand Tasting Gala on Friday evening will feature tastings by the event’s 13 chefs from Connecticut and New York, fine [...]

Interested in becoming a host of your own cooking show? Food Network Star is holding open casting looking for "those with a captivating personality who believe they’re at the top of the culinary game and want to inspire a Food Network audience through their passion for food and cooking." Open casting calls in New York City, October 7, San Antonio, October 14, San Francisco, October 19, Providence, October 26, Los Angeles, November 2, New Orleans, November 12 and Chicago, November 16. If you can't attend you can alternately submit a 3-minute home video. For more details about the casting call and to download an application click here. - guest contributor

Katch Brewery & Grill, a newly opened 450 seat American restaurant in Astoria (31-19 Newtown Avenue), is the latest addition to the flourishing beer scene in Queens. Katch offers 50 craft beers on tap, with 14 more mainstream offerings by the bottle, along with an impressive “kocktails” collection. The menu of pub “klassics” includes nachos made with béchamel cheese sauce, hand-shaped patties burgers made from of a proprietary beef blend, house-smoked grilled ribs and linguini, with prosciutto, broccolini, and blue cheese in garlic red wine sauce. Katch’s Kourtyard captures the spirit of an upgraded outdoor picnic area with wooden communal tables, colorful umbrellas and televisions positioned along a brick wall. [...]

Morton's The Steakhouse reopened at the World Trade Center in early July after more than a decade's absence from the Downtown Manhattan neighborhood. Morton’s, which was originally located at 90 West Street and was lost during the attacks of 2001, is returning to the same block, directly across from the 9/11 Memorial, in the Club Quarters Hotel,. Morton’s The Steakhouse boasts 10,500 square feet with the bar area on the street level and the main dining room downstairs. With two private dining rooms seating anywhere from 10 to 80 guests, Morton’s is for any business meeting, family gathering or intimate dinner. Morton's The Steakhouse is known for its signature menu [...]

StubHub Center — 18400 Avalon Blvd. Carson, CA 90746 — will be transformed into The South Bay Food Fest tomorrow, on August 10, 2013. The event will feature over thirty top gourmet food trucks, beer garden, live entertainment, a kid’s fun zone and game truck and much more! Gates will open at 2 pm and will close at 8 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Click here for more info or to purchase tickets.

The Proprietors Bar & Table at 9 India Street on Nantucket has opened, joining sibling restaurant American Seasons in celebrating inventive cuisine. A collaboration between Michael & Orla LaScola of American Seasons and Chef Tom Berry, The Proprietors borrows influences and flavors from international cuisines, while highlighting local produce, meat and seafood harvested on small Nantucket and New England farms. Serving as its centerpiece is a wood-top bar outfitted with 14 seats, a small side lounge and focus on handcrafted cocktails and small-batch beers on draft. Developed by award-winning sommelier Orla LaScola, The Proprietors’ wine program has an international bent with a carefully curated selection of European and New World [...]

Tickets are now available for Gramercy Tavern’s annual Autumn Harvest Dinner, taking place Monday, September 30th at the restaurant (42 East 20th Street New York City). It's the 20th anniversary benefiting Share Our Strength. The stellar line-up of chefs includes Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene) Stephanie Izard (Girl & The Goat) Marc Vetri (Vetri, Osteria, Amis, Alla Spina) Mindy Segal (Hot Chocolate) The event will include a Champagne & hors d’oeuvres reception, a five-course dinner prepared by the chefs, extraordinary wines paired by celebrated sommeliers, as well as a luxury silent and live auction. For more information or to purchase tickets, please click here.

Chef Todd English and friends present a “Feast” to Benefit Cancer Research on July 27 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the home of Maria and Kenneth Fishel in Bridgehampton, New York. The 9th Annual “A Hamptons Happening,” — an evening of food, drink, music, dancing and an impressive auction— benefits the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF). Founded in 1976, the SWCRF is a pioneer in cancer research, focusing on uncovering the causes of cancer and reprogramming cancer cells. In addition to honoring celebrity Chef English, the event also honors fashion legend Ruth Finley, creator of the well-known Fashion Calendar. WCBS-TV News Anchor Chris Wragge is the evening’s emcee. [...]

Tim Pappas (former General Manager of Philippe Chow), and the team behind Avra, launched Anassa Taverna, a new Greek multi-level restaurant midtown at 200 East 60th Street (212.371.5200), New York City. “Anassa” (meaning “breath of fresh air” in Greek) Taverna’s cuisine will feature fresh fish and authentic Greek home-cooked recipes, made with all natural products and ingredients. Just like the Taverna’s in Greece, the restaurant will feature food, wine, and live entertainment/ Greek-born Executive Chef Nikos Karvelas offers the classic Greek salad (tomato, cucumber, peppers, onions, kalamata olives and feta cheese) and grilled lamb chops (grilled and served with roasted potatoes, grilled tomato and topped with tzatziki). Fish is prepared [...]

Long Island City is home to the newest flea and food market in NYC: LIC Flea & Food, which will operate every Saturday and Sunday this summer. and that overlooks the Manhattan skyline. The food and festivities are conveniently located in a 24,000-square-foot lot at the corner of 5th Street and 46th Avenue in the heart of LIC with a view of the Manhattan skyline. It's easy to get to as it's just blocks from the 7, E, M and G trains as well as the East River Ferry and parking across the street. Buses will run to and from the ferry to the parking lot. Community partners include TF [...]